While voice plays a central role in human-computer interaction, IBM wants to shift more of the burden to the machines by exploiting nonverbal cues. Big Blue's BlueEyes project (www.almaden.ibm.com/cs/blueeyes/mouse.html) uses a camera to read a computer user's gaze. One prototype fills a scrolling ticker on a monitor with information related to the user's current task. The goal: to know where the user is looking, the applications that are running, and the Web pages displayed, and then suggest paths of action. Under a second prototype, the user's eyes actually affect the movement of the cursor. IBM believes eye-tracking technology will be fairly common in five years. Experts are also measuring the heart rate, temperature, galvanic skin response -- yes, galvanic skin response -- and minute body movements of human test subjects, then matching them with six emotional states. The computer would gauge the emotional state of the user, then adjust the presentation of information accordingly. Backers believe such customizing will increase worker productivity dramatically.

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